Method of and apparatus for spinning yarn



, July 31, 1928. 1,678,919

I D. s. SEAMAN METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING YARN Filed Feb. 8, 1927 li atented daily 31 ii 28.

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'FFICE. 1

METHGD OF AND APPARATUS FOR SPINNING YARN.

Application filed February 53, 192?- Serial No. 166,770.

The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for spinning yarn from textile fibres or twisting yarns already spun. It is particularly adapted for use in connection with textile fibres which are difficult to spin by the ordinary'methods now in use. Such yarns are particularly wor steds, mohairs and the-like and are difiicult to spin because the fibres resist twisting, or work loose from the body of the yarn after being spun. The apparatus and method of spinning embodying my invention are applicable to all textile fibres known to me as well as to those already mentioned and have great advantages in the spinning of cotton, wool and silk and mixtures of these fibres. The invention described herein makes it possible to spin yarns, and particularly fine yarns, much faster than has been considered possible in the past. For example, I have found that a number 50 yarn can be produced at substantially double the speed heretofore considered possible.

In practicing my invention the sliver or roving passes from a suitable guide which may, in practice, he a pair of drawing rolls and thence into a central eye in the to of a dome-shaped revolving member whic is carried on and revolves with an ordinary spindle shaft.

As it enters the eye of the dome-shaped member, the yarn is lead out by the-centrifugal force which, owing to the extremely rapid rotation, is very great and I believe that the yarn is thereby thrown against the smooth inner surface of the dome-shaped member and rolled or revolved upon it thus tending to roll into it the loose ends of the fibres. 1 also believe that as the partly twisted yarn enters the spinning members it is rolled on the edge of the eye or entrance hole, which tends to wipe inthe fibres. Further, since the yarn after being spun is coiled around inside the spinning member and confined thereby, the centrifugal force does not cause the fibres to work loose and stand out from the yarn as is the case with yarn spun on a rim fly or cap spinning frame. It will be un erstood, that it is diificult to know exactly what takes place inside the domeshaped member but I do know that the protruding fibres which would ordinarily form beards are twisted into the body oi"; the yarn and that-the boarding is greatly reduced producing a much smoother yarn than has hereto ore been considered possible from the same materials. Y I

No yarn guide is employed and there is no vertical traverse of the yarn as has heretofore been customary. The s inning member may rotate at a speed 0? upwards of 12000 R. P. M.

I am aware that attempts have been made.

to spin yarn by means oit'rotating boxes or pots having closed or partly closed tops, but such boxes have not been of the peculiar dome-shape which I employ, and have not had the peculiar action .on the yarn heroin described and have been used in connection with stationary yarn guides, provision being made for traversing the yarn relatively to the spinning box or pot. I believe myself to be the first to spin yarn by the use of a domeshaped spinning member, without a yarn guide, the yarn being entirely free from the point of delivery of the roving or sliver. Also, I believe that I am the first to utilize the centrifugal force exerted on the yarn as a result of the extremely high rate of speed to cause the yarn be thrown against a smooth rapidly rotating surface and thereby-wind the protruding fibres or beards into the body of the yarn producing a smootheryarn than has heretofore been considered possible, andfurther to do this by a device which confines the yarn after it has been spun so that the-centrifugal force will not loosen the fibres to form beards.

My invention also includes a convenient means within the spinning member to receive the yarn and assist in removing the hank of yarn after it has been spun.

In the drawings:-

V Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an apparatus embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the yarn receiving member or spool removed.

Fig. 3 shows the apparatus with the cover or spinning member removed.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the cover or spinning member.

Referring to the drawings, at A is shown the spindle shaft having a bearing B at its foot and at C a pulley for engagement with the belt in the ordinary manner. dle shaft is conveniently provided at its up- The spinper end with a rib 11 for engagement with a corresponding groove in the bottom of 9.

central member 13 to which the base member 12 is secured. The base member isof the shape shown and has a laterally extending llu ' to lock the cover to the base.

portion 14, which is made of thin sheet aluminum secured to the central member 13. On the interior of the base a of the cover or spinning member 16 is a pin 15 WlllCll locks the cover or spinning member in place. The base member 12 (see also Fig. 2) is rovided with a slot b in the form of a ayonet joint to cooperate with the pin 15 Any other convenient means of locking the cover in place, may be used. The upper part of the cover 'is sloped as shown at c and 03, while the portion 6 which is immediately adjacent the base is substantially cylindrical. While variations in the shape of the cover may be employed, I find that better results seem to be produced where the shape shown in Figs.

I 1 and 4 is adhered to fairly strictly. Furthermore, inclined surfaces having about the inclination of the slopes c and (Z seem to contribute to the surprisingly good results ob tained. At the center of the cover is an eye 17 through which the yarn enters, and over whose edge the yarn rolls as it enters the spinning member. In practice, I find that better results are obtained if a guide tube 18 is employed to keep the yarn oil the curve f between the eye and the substantially horizontal surface 9 forming the top of the dome-shaped member. The size of the. eye will depend somewhat on the size and character of the yarn to be spun.

At E, F are shown the front pair of drawing rolls, at G, H, the rear pair, and at I, J and K, M the intermediate pairs, this being the ordinary construction employed in spinning worsted or cotton yarns. As far as my invention is concerned, it is onlynecessary that there shall be a suitable mechanism or devices for delivering the roving, sliver or yarns to be twisted to the spinning mechanism and these devices may be chosen according to the particular fibre to be spun. For cotton and worsted ordinary drawing rolls will be employed, while for silk, rayon, oelenese and the like appropriate guide members or delivery devices will be used. It will be noticed also that there is no guiding device between the delivery member which in this case is the drawing rolls E F and the eye of the spinning member and that also there is no yarn gulde' inside the spinning member and particularly no yarn guide which produces a. vertical traverse of the yarn after it has been spun.

At 20 is shown a spool member which is conveniently made separable from the central member 13 and has an outwardl extending flange or bottom plate 21 whic has substantially the diameter of the inside of the dome-shaped spinning member 16. The spool also has a to flange 22 located near the top or roof of '0 1e dome-shaped spinning member 16. This spool performs no function in the twisting of the yarn, but merely receives the yarn as it is spun and makes it possible to remove it more conveniently.

The rotation of the spinning member twists the yarn. The twisting takes place in part between the eye 17 of the spinningmember 16 and the nip of the rolls E, F and in part inside the rotating spinning member 16. I believe that as the yarn passes over the edge of the eye the loose fibres are rolled or wiped into the body of the yarn, and that after the yarn passes the under edge of the guide tube or e 'e lZ-it lies in about the position shown in ig. 1, and is thrown by centrifugal force against the inclined wall of the dome-shaped spinning member at a point as low down on the inclined surfaces 0 as is permitted by the already spun yarn in the enclosure; an that as the spinning member revolves and the yarn is twisted, the yarn rolls against the inner side of the spinning member thereby winding in any loose hairs of fibres into the yarn. I also believe that the centrifugal force exerted on the yarn, which is at the same time rotating, contributes to this effect. After the yarn is twisted, it is laid around the inside of the spinning member and as more yarn is spun the new. yarn crowds the already spun yarn downwardly and inwardly as suggested in the drawings. This movement is caused by the slope of the cover, since the yarn tends to move always toward the plane of greatest diameter. An examination of the yarn after it has been removed from the interior of the spinning member shows that the turns ofyarn are substantially the diameter of the inside of the spinning member but that the later coils are somewhat smaller than the earlier coils and therefore I conclude that the centrifugal force tends to hold each coil out against the wall of the spinning member. However, when the machine is stopped and the spinning member is removed by disengaging the bayonet lock it is found that the yarn if spun dry is drawn in toward the spool 20 owing to the contraction of the yarn when the centrifugal force which stretches it outward toward the walls of the spinning member is released. To prevent this contracting tendency, water or steam or other suitable material can be introduced into the spinning member during the spinning. This reduces the contractionand sets the twist. To remove the yarn the spool 20 is lifted off. Thereafter, the hank can be taken 01f the "spool easily since the diameter of the coils forming the hank are, as has been explained, greater than the diameter of the top flange 22 of the spool. In practice the hanks as they are removed are put onto cones, not shown, which stretch the hank to its largest diameter and hold it in this position until the twist is set. Thereafter the yarn can be wound ofi the cone 1n any convenient manner.

In the foregoing description I have explained to the best of my'present knowledge what I believe to be the operation of the spinning device embodying my invention, but I' am by no means certain that this is the correct explanation of what takes place. I have, however, ascertained that the device described can be run at speeds in excess of 12000 R. P. M. and will produce fine yarns at double the rate at which such yarns can be produced by devices heretofore in use. I also find that yarns so produced are much smoother and freer from beards than yarns made from similar materials by previous methods and therefore that such yarns can be rewound and handled subsequently with much less trouble from breakage as well as producing fabrics of superior appearance.

. which is free to center itself it is possible to operate the device at the speeds mentioned The device embodying my invention may also be employed for twisting yarns Which have already been spun and this can be done at speeds in excess of anything heretofore considered possible. I also find that it is possible to spin refractory materials like goats hair which have previously been spun only with great difiiculty, easily and at about the same high rates of speed.

In constructing my device, I keep the weight as low down as possible bringing the center of gravity quite close to the plane of the upper spindle bearing and I find that by so doing and by using a type of spindle without heating the bearings and that the devicewill run smoothly.

v Believing as I do that I am the first to spin yarns in the manner described herein, I claim it in the broadest manner consistent with law.

What I claim is: v 1. The method of spinning yarn which consists in rolling it by centrifugal force on a concave surface while it is being twisted. 2. The method of spinning yarn which consists in twisting the yarn by rolling it by centrifugal force against the surface of a rotating member.

3. The method of spinning yarn which consists in feeding aroving through the eye of a rotating member and allowing the'yarn to be rolled and thereby twisted against the interior of said member by contrifugal force.

4. A spinning device which includes a dome-shaped rotating member having a central yarn receiving opening, the inside of said member forming a concave surface against which the yarn is rolled and twisted by centrifugal force.

5. A spinning device having a yarn engaging surface inclined to the axis of revolution, against which the yarn is rolled and twisted by centrifugal force.

6. A spinning device having a surface engaged by the yarn as it is being spun which surface is inclined, inwardly to the sides of the device, and against which the yarn is rolled and twisted by centrifugal force.

7. The spinning mechanism for yarn which comprises a base, a rotating shaft to which said base is secured and a hollow spinning cover secured to said base and having a central opening through which the roving enters.

8. In combination with suitable yarn delivery means, a rotatingspinning member receiving yarn directly from said delivery means, said spinning member being hollow and having a central yarn. receiving opening through which the yarn enters.

9. A spinning mechanism for yarn which comprises a base, a rotating shaft to which said base is secured and separate yarn-receiving spool member on said base and a hollow spinning cover secured to said base having a central opening through which they roving enters.

10. A spinning mechanism for arn which comprises a base, a rotating sha t to which said base is secured, a hollow spinning cover secured to said base and having a central opening through which the roving enters, a removable centrally disposed yarn-receiving spool member inside the cover, .said spool member having a bottom flan e of substantfzlially the diameter of the inside of the top ange. i

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

- DAVID S. SEAMAN. 

